


Steven the Human

by AdsoOfMelk



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), But mostly angst, Character Death, Crying (Duh), Fluff and Angst, Gen, Old Married Couple, Pearl Eating, like really old
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23441764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdsoOfMelk/pseuds/AdsoOfMelk
Summary: At the end of a long, fulfilling life, Steven chooses to die.
Relationships: Bismuth & Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Crystal Gems & Steven Universe, Jasper & Steven Universe, Lars Barriga & Steven Universe, Spinel & Steven Universe
Comments: 4
Kudos: 76





	1. Melted Dessert

Steven turned over the little device in his hands, closely inspecting and judging it. “I feel like some of the charm will disappear if we use a high-tech camcorder like this.”

“Steven, this isn’t high-tech at all. This thing’s from 2019.”

“Fair, but—”

“You can’t expect _them_ to have a VCR when _we_ don’t even have one.”

Steven groaned in mock-exasperation. “Why are you always shooting down my ideas with well thought out alternatives?”

Connie chuckled, shook her head, and rolled her eyes. “That’s been my job for, what, ninety years now?”

They shared a quick kiss and a laugh before Connie continued.

“So... What should we record first?”

Steven had spent a long time thinking about this, even before he had decided if he was going to do this or not. Despite this, he still didn’t really know what he wanted to say, or what moment to capture.

After a short pause, he said: “How about we just take a walk?”

* * *

_The video starts, and the first thing shown is a wonderful view of a beachside city from a faraway hill or mountain top. It’s midmorning, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky._

_“Are you recording?” The off screen voice is a woman’s, and although it’s not very loud, she speaks clearly and strongly. She sounds very old._

_“Yeah. Just showing what Beach City looks like. It might look different when they see these.” The second voice is a man’s, also off screen. His voice is much softer, smoother. He also sounds quite aged, but the energy in his voice belongs to a much younger man._

_The woman hums in agreement, but says nothing._

_The camera zooms in on various places in town, to little effect. The camera isn’t outfitted to focus or zoom quite as much as it would need to get any more detail out of the city. After a few moments of failed attempts, the camera zooms out fully and turns to the left._

_The woman’s dark skin is deeply wrinkled, and her hair is fully gray. Her eyes are sunken with extreme age, and are a stunning dark brown. So brown they simply look black. She’s wearing a long black skirt, a simple dark blue blouse, and red sneakers. She’s smiling softly and looking out over the town._

_“Hey,” the man says, getting her attention. She turns to look at the camera, but shields her face from view when she sees it’s pointing at her. “You’re beautiful.”_

_“Steven! I thought you were gonna be the only one on camera!”_

_Steven laughs deeply, and the signs of age in his voice disappear. They return when he speaks. “Are you kidding? They gotta see how hot you were back in these days!”_

_“I’m serious! I look awful!” The woman reaches out to snatch the camcorder from Steven, causing the video to shake around violently._

_“Okay, okay! If you really don’t—”_

_The video ends._

* * *

Garnet emerged from the sea, and shook the water out of her hair as she made her way up to the temple. Scouring the ocean floor for gem fragments was tedious work, but future vision at least made it possible. Without it, she wouldn’t have even found one piece at the bottom of that always-moving water.

When Garnet entered the house, Pearl was waiting in the living room, strumming lazily on Steven’s old ukulele. She began to stand up, but Garnet raised a hand to signal her not to.

“Nothing, huh?” Pearl asked.

Garnet shook her head and said: “No, but you should plug your phone in. Steven called.”

“What in the—” Pearl’s eyes widened before she took her phone out from her jacket pocket. “Look at that! It _is_ dead. I really need a new battery, this one is wearing out...” She produced a portable charger from her gem and plugged it into her phone, waiting impatiently for it to turn on so she could check her notifications.

Garnet, on the other hand, was already making her way into the temple.

“Garnet, you don’t want to talk to Steven?” Pearl asked. Garnet stopped for just a moment before presenting her gems to the door.

“I’m getting Amethyst,” she said quietly, before disappearing into her room.

“Oh, alright. I’ll see you—” but the door had already closed behind Garnet.

“...soon. Huh. Weird.”

* * *

“STEVEN’S HERE!” Amethyst shrieked, slamming the door behind her as she sprinted down the temple’s steps and across its sandy lawn.

“Don’t slam the—! Oh, whatever,” Pearl sighed, defeated. “We better make sure she doesn’t hurt him, Garnet.”

Garnet simply nodded in agreement.

Outside, Amethyst barreled down the steps to give Steven a bear hug, which he returned as best he could.

“It’s so good to see you, Amethyst,” he choked out. She pulled away from the hug and smiled wide at him.

“Dude, how do you look older every time I see you? It should be impossible by now.” It was true. While he had avoided balding like his father, Steven’s curly hair was now a snowy white. His skin was incredibly wrinkly, especially the lines around his mouth and eyes. He walked with a bit of a hunch, as well.

Steven chuckled. “It’s because I _am_ older every time you see me. That’s how it works.”

“Pfft. That’s just what the Man wants you to think.”

From nearby, Pearl’s voice cried out.

“Steven! Oh, Steven!” Steven braced for another smothering hold as Pearl ran over to them, with Garnet walking not far behind.

“We missed you so much, Steven!” Pearl yelled as she, too, crushed Steven in a hug.

“Pearl, it’s been, like, two weeks,” Steven said, hugging her back. “But I missed you, too.”

She leaned back to look at him with fresh tears in her eyes. “That’s two weeks too long, if you ask me.”

Suddenly Garnet was upon them, and she, too hugged Steven. An awkward silence stretched, in which Garnet didn't say a word.

“Uhhh... Garnet?” Amethyst interrupted, causing Garnet to let go of Steven.

When Steven got to look at her, streams of tears were flowing out from underneath Garnet’s visor. In that moment, Steven knew she knew why he was here.

“Welcome back, Steven,” Garnet said in a steady voice.

Steven’s eyes began to well up, too. “It’s good to be back, Garnet.”

Pearl and Amethyst looked at each other and shrugged.

* * *

“I got some ice cream for the occasion!” Pearl said from the kitchen. “I know older humans should watch their diet, but Connie’s not here, soooo...”

Amethyst chortled. “Whaddaya say, Steve-o? Wanna live on the wild side today? Or are you chicken?”

“If eating ice cream is wild, then I don’t wanna be tame!” Steven said, pumping his fist into the air.

“I’ll take just a scoop, please,” Garnet asked, smiling.

Pearl came back and served the three bowls to them, watching Steven and Amethyst scarf down their treats. Pearl partook in a single bite of the chocolate ice cream before walking back to the sink and washing her spoon.

“Pearl!? Straight from the container!?” Amethyst said, befuddled.

“Oh, calm down! It was just one bite,” Pearl shot back playfully. “Besides, you were drinking the orange juice from the carton just this morning!”

“Uh, yeah, cuz I was finishing it, duh.”

“You started it, too,” Garnet added, causing Steven to erupt in laughter and slap the table.

“Well, yeah, once you get your lips on it, you gotta kill it. That’s just good manners!”

Pearl waved her clean spoon aggressively at Amethyst. “I was saving that orange juice to make drinks for some of the family when they came by! Now I have to get a whole ‘nother carton.”

“Sometimes it just be like that, P.”

Steven’s laughter stopped. “Pearl, you don’t mean alcoholic drinks, do you?”

“I do! I’ve taken a liking to the mixing processes.” She saw Steven’s mouth open in disbelief. “Oh-ho! I don’t drink, I can’t stand the stuff. It’s literally poison. But mixing can be fun, and I can’t say I don’t get a kick out of seeing humans acting ridiculous.”

“But you won’t clean up after them...” Garnet said with a raised brow and a smirk.

Pearl shuddered. “Let’s change the subject, please.”

Amethyst snickered as Steven cleared his throat. He hated to kill the mood, but...

“You guys seem to be getting along pretty well.”

“Swimmingly,” Amethyst said sarcastically.

“We tease, but yes,” Pearl added, a look of satisfaction on her face.

Garnet said nothing, her smile gone and ice cream untouched.

“So, I, uh... have some news for you guys,” Steven said with a wavering voice.

“News?” Pearl said in disbelief. “We haven’t had news in a long time.”

“Is everyone okay?” Amethyst asked, panicking. Some of Steven’s children were beginning to show their age.

“Everyone’s fine, everybody’s healthy,” Steven reassured. “Nothing’s happened yet.”

“Yet,” Garnet said dryly.

Steven’s face began to redden as he struggled to find the right words.

“Steven?” Amethyst asked quietly.

“What’s wrong?” Worry weighed heavily in Pearl’s tone as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

“How do I put this?” Steven choked out, rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his pink button up shirt.

He continued. “Guys, I... I’ve thought about it for a long while and decided...” He swallowed the lump in his throat and forced himself to speak.

“I’ve decided to die.”


	2. Thank You

Garnet put her hand under her visor to wipe away the new tears beginning to form. She had seen this coming for a long time now, but it didn’t make the reality of the situation any easier to deal with.

Steven was going to die, and judging by his age, it would be soon.

If Garnet was shaken, Pearl and Amethyst were broken.

“Steven... why?” Amethyst whispered. “What’s wro—”

Pearl cut her off and grabbed Steven by the shoulders. “What are you talking about, Steven!? You’re joking, right? This has to be a bad joke, right!?”

“Pearl, I’m not—” Steven began, but Pearl continued.

“Why would this happen? What went wrong? You _ decided _ this? When!?”

“Pearl, listen—”

“Does Connie know? What about the rest of the family? Steven, I don’t—”

“Pearl! Listen to me, please!” Steven raised his voice, causing Pearl and Amethyst to recoil from him.

He continued, looking down into his lap and speaking quietly. “Pearl... You guys, I’m old. I’m super old. I feel old, so I _ am _ old. And I’ve been thinking for a long while now... What’s gonna happen when everyone gets as old as I am? I haven’t really had any medical problems, but at this point I’ve been keeping Connie alive for a lot longer than she probably would have lived if I weren’t around...”

“How is that a bad thing?” Amethyst asked. Pearl wasn’t really listening, quietly crying into her hands. Garnet was at a loss for words, mainly just focusing on staying together.

“It’s not a bad thing that Connie’s still alive, but what about everyone else? Sure, Dad passed away a while ago, but what about Jasmine, or Little Andy? Or their kids? I could _ probably _ keep them alive for forever, but should the Universes just be this immortal family? You guys, that’s not how humans work! Death is a part of life.”

“But it doesn’t have to be a part of _ your _ life, Steven,” Amethyst pleaded. “You’re special, you’re a gem! Gems live forever. You don’t have to... to die.” She said that last part very quietly.

Steven shook his head. “Gems _ can _ live forever. Some die. But _ every _ human dies someday. If I lived forever, as a human, it wouldn’t be right. If I die... I’m not breaking any rules.”

“You are _ more _ than just half and half, Steven,” Garnet finally chimed in, her voice uncharacteristically shaky. “You aren’t a gem, and you aren’t a human. You’re _ Steven. _ And you can live as long as you decide to. You don’t _ have _ to do this. There are no rules.”

“And what, watch all the humans in my life disappear? Connie, Lars, and Onion are the only two people from my childhood that are even still around, and Lars doesn’t even count! I love them all so much... All the new friends I’ve made over my life, and the ones I’d make if I lived on. Seeing them die off over and over like that would be torture.”

What frustrated Garnet the most was that it made sense. She wouldn’t be sad if she felt like she could convince him, or if she saw any way of changing Steven’s mind. But she couldn’t see any future where he decided not to go through with this. Not any happy ones, anyway.

“I love you guys _ so much,” _ Steven said, struggling to speak. “But I just can’t live like this forever. I’ve been through so much, I’ve _ done _ so much, but these past few years, I’ve lived my life wishing I could have the people that have died back in my life. I’m just getting less... happy as time goes on. And I...” he sobbed out, “I don’t know what I’d do without Connie...”

He couldn’t talk anymore, and the gems threw themselves on him in a clinging embrace. They stayed like that for a long while, before Pearl spoke up.

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

Steven sniffed. “I’ve been thinking about it since I was around seventy four. That’s how old Dad was when he passed. But Connie and I made the big decision a couple months ago.”

“I don’t want this...” Amethyst said in a monotone voice.

“Do you have a date planned?” Garnet asked.

“In a couple days, I think. I wanna say goodbye to everyone... Not everyone gets to say bye before they pass, so I want to take advantage of it.”

Garnet frowned. “Steven, I—” she stopped short, and stepped away from the group hug. She used the table to stabilize her shaking legs. For a brief moment, she glowed, threatening to come undone. But she managed to pull herself back together.

“Oh, Garnet...” Steven got up and grabbed her hand, holding it gently.

“I’m not ready for this, Steven,” Garnet’s voice came out in a soft whine. “None of us are.”

A sad smile grew on Steven’s face. “I don’t think you guys will ever be ready. But you know, that’s not unusual. So few people are ready for a loved one to pass on.”

“Who else knows?” Amethyst asked softly, still trying to process the news.

“Right now, just you guys and Connie.” He began to count on his fingers. “I want to visit the family, Lapis, Bismuth, Peridot, Lars and his crew, the diamonds, Jasper, and Spinel. I’ll probably visit Onion if I can find him, too. Then I’m gonna send a message out to all of gemkind. They deserve to know I’ve gone, too.”

“When are you gonna leave to do all these goodbyes?” Pearl asked in a tone that begged him to stay.

“Tomorrow.”

* * *

_ The video starts, showing a large stone statue of a mysterious, many-armed woman carved into the beachside cliff face. The crashing of the waves can be heard, with the occasional squawk from a nearby gull coming through. _

_ The camera rotates to show the woman from the last clip, except she’s wearing a red floral dress with matching sandals and a large sunhat. She’s looking out at the ocean. _

_ “She’s all dressed up now,” Steven says from off screen quietly. “This is the beach we met on just over a hundred years ago.” _

_ He rotates the camera around, catching the temple again, along with the path that goes around the bluff. _

_ “I’ll miss it.” His voice is shaky. _

_ “Dang, I have to start over.” _

_ The video ends. _

* * *

The rest of that day with the gems was bittersweet, but eventually the next day came, and he had to leave.

Jasmine and Andy took the news a lot better than he expected. There were tears, of course, but since they were little he and Connie had instilled in them the concept of loved ones dying. Jasmine, with her dark sense of humor, still found it in her to crack a joke at his expense. “Really?” she said. “I thought you were gunning for two hundred!” Overall, they were at peace with his decision. Andy looked like he would have a hard time without his dad, but he was sympathetic. Steven was never shy about sharing his life experiences, and he suspected that his children had come to the same conclusion he had about his life. His grandchildren and older great-grandchildren weren’t super young anymore, but gave a similar response. He couldn’t bring himself to give the news to his younger great-grandchildren, but he made sure to play a game or read a story to each one before saying his final goodbye. He even had one great-great granddaughter! Not even a year old. He regretted that he would never see a glimpse of who she would become. He loved them all as much as the last one.

Lars and the Supernovas (they weren’t called the off-colors anymore) gave a mixed response. The gems were mostly confused, but still distraught. They struggled with the idea of Steven, someone as powerful as a diamond, ceasing to exist. Lars on the other hand was heartbroken, but understanding.

“I’m really sorry, Lars,” Steven said solemnly. “I hate to leave you like this.”

“Don’t be,” Lars said through his tears. “I’ve never felt more at home than among my crew. If I do settle down, it’ll be far from Earth. Even if humans don’t last forever, I haven’t made new friends there in a long time. Besides...” he backed up and hooked his arms around Rhodonite and the Rutile twins’ necks, sporting a cocky smirk.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m a gem. It’s not our style to expire.”

His forced smile didn’t last long, but Steven couldn’t stop from smiling back. They shared a final hug. Lars thanked Steven before he hopped into Lars’s hair.

The diamonds were as dramatic as ever, but Steven was so emotionally exhausted that he couldn’t bring himself to feel too sorry for them. Still, at this point, he had known them for most of his life, and he hated to see them suffer. Especially Blue, who looked like she might relapse. But Steven knew that they would recover. They had each other now. It wouldn’t be like when Pink went away. They all gave him impassioned thank yous and goodbyes.

Spinel, on the other hand, really crushed his heart. She was devastated, barely able to speak. When they could finally talk, she begged him not to leave. They had gotten closer over the years, carefully allowing a deeper friendship to grow between them. Spinel was incredibly curious about human babies and children, and spent a lot of time with Steven’s children and grandchildren. She had grown attached to his family, and felt the loss as if he were her family. On his way out, Steven managed to get a good final exchange from her. “Thank you Steven, for everything. I’ll never forget you.” Then she blew her nose on Blue Diamond’s dress.

Steven felt a little guilty that he was a little satisfied to see Jasper cry and let some emotion out, but even then it was only a little. They had drifted apart as his life went on, and Jasper didn’t even live on Earth anymore. She apologized for everything she did, and Steven of course accepted it with enthusiasm. Strangely, Steven was able to happily reminisce with her about the trials they had gone through in life. She hugged and thanked him before he warped away.

While in the warp, his heart began to tighten. Out of everyone, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl were definitely the ones that would take the news the hardest. But after that, Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth were next up.

When Steven stepped into Bismuth’s forge, she immediately sensed something was wrong.

“Steven, your eyes! What happened?”

“Oh shoot,” he chuckled. “They’re swollen, huh?”

“Who hurt you!?” she yelled, forming a blade with her hand.

“Nobody hurt me, Bismuth! I promise! I’ve just had a long day is all.”

Bismuth sighed in relief. “Oh, man. You wanna talk about it?”

Steven grimaced. “That’s pretty much why I’m here.”

She raised an eyebrow in confusion, totally unready for the news.

**Author's Note:**

> Thinking this work will be two or three chapters long, with this one probably being the shortest.


End file.
